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Just Call it 'Eau de Lang Lang'

Monday, May 26, 2014 - 07:00 PM

It has worked for Renée Fleming, Elizabeth Taylor and even Derek Jeter. Now the pianist Lang Lang is entering the celebrity fragrance market, announcing on Twitter over the weekend that his signature scent, "Amazing," will debut in Europe in November and China next year.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in December, Lang said that Swiss perfume company Firmenich approached him as they were “looking for an Asian for a line of perfumes.”

“I love perfumes,” Lang added, going into a surprising level of detail. “I never have time to wash my suit. When I’m travelling, sometimes the smell isn’t very pleasant. And when I’m on stage, I don’t only want to smell the piano. Sometimes, when they tune a piano, you smell this oil, or a glue kind of smell. It’s weird.”

As one of the world’s most famous classical musicians, Lang maintains an extensive array of endorsements including Allianz, Bombardier, Giorgio Armani, Montblanc, Telefonica and Volkswagen. He previously had his own line of Adidas shoes.

The main ingredients of the fragrance, which will be sold in lines for men and women, are jasmine, kyara wood, pink and black pepper, kumquat, bergamotte, gardenia, lavender, cedar wood, vetiver, patchouli and musk. There is no word on a U.S. launch.

In 2008, Fleming launched "La Voce," a limited-edition perfume line that was sold at the Metropolitan Opera Shop.

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Brian Wise covers the classical music business for WQXR, including aspects of performance, technology, philanthropy and institutional trends. He produces the Café Concerts series and the podcast/show Conducting Business. He manages the station's homepage and makes sure what you hear on air is what you see online. Follow him on Twitter at @Briancwise.